“The tension mounts at a blistering pace, while Ryan dazzles on page, weaving a sinister story that readers won’t be able to put down. A must read!”–Mary Kubica
Now a Criminal Element Best of 2018!
Booklist STARRED REVIEW “It’s a knockout.”
Now an AMAZON Editors’ Pick BEST MYSTERY/THRILLER OF THE MONTH!
Now a REAL SIMPLE Magazine Top Thriller of 2018!Now a Book Bub Top Summer Thriller of … MONTH!
Now a REAL SIMPLE Magazine Top Thriller of 2018!
Now a Book Bub Top Summer Thriller of 2018!
Trust Me is the chilling standalone novel of psychological suspense and manipulation that award-winning author and renowned investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan was born to write.
Now a Book Bub Top Summer Thriller of 2018!
Now a POPSUGAR Top Summer Thriller!
Now a CrimeReads Most Anticipated Thriller of 2018!
Now a New York Post Best Thriller of the Summer!
An accused killer insists she’s innocent of a heinous murder.
A grieving journalist surfaces from the wreckage of her shattered life.
Their unlikely alliance leads to a dangerous cat and mouse game that will leave you breathless.
Who can you trust when you can’t trust yourself?
A grieving journalist surfaces from the wreckage of her shattered life.
Their unlikely alliance leads to a dangerous cat and mouse game that will leave you breathless.
Who can you trust when you can’t trust yourself?
Trust Me is the chilling standalone novel of psychological suspense and manipulation that award-winning author and renowned investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan was born to write.
At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Trust Me is such a unique thriller. I love the way Ryan put the story together like a macabre jig-saw puzzle … blew me away! A must read.
A fascinating read. I couldn’t put it down.
I can’t imagine a more perfect title for this book. Ryan does a masterful job of portraying the vulnerabilities of the mind. Two women, one accused of murdering her child and the other grieving the loss of both her husband and child are brought together, and as the book description details (no spoiler here!) — the game of cat and mouse begins. Who and what can we trust when we can’t even trust ourselves? Great psychological thriller. My first book from this author — who is now added to my list!
Trust Me is an apt title for this book because this book is all about trust–and in most cases the lack thereof. First, confession time, the trust between the author and the reader. I confess to being perplexed at first at the parallels between another high profile murder and Ashlyn Bryant, Ms. Ryan’s antagonist. But there’s that “trust” word again, and since I know Hank Phillippi Ryan’s work, I knew she had a major spin coming, so I kept reading. Which wasn’t a chore because she draws you in like that proverbial spider as emotion and cleverly crafted words burn up her pages.
Who wouldn’t want to follow a journalist who has lost everything; is so broken and is offered a chance to restart her life by a cunning, manipulative editor. It’s the opportunity presented that made me think, oh no, girlfriend, turn this down and take your chances elsewhere. But true to form, the author drives Mercer Hennessy to accept the call to action. I loved getting a firsthand look inside the mind of a journalist and the technologies at her disposal as she takes on the assignment of a lifetime with an impossible timeline.
A true psychological thriller, I likened TRUST ME to another favorite read of mine, YOUR HEART BELONGS TO ME, by Dean Koontz. Hours of taut escapism, double meaning and rationalization, there’s only one thing to keep in mind: Do you know or do you think you know? Well worthy of five stars.
Have you ever read a book that left you in a complete and utter mind frozen state? On that you just sit and stare into space, wondering how could an author be that brilliant? Yea, that’s me after reading TRUST ME. I mean, my God. I hadn’t even heard of this author before but I sure am adding her to my ever growing list of autobuy authors, for sure.
Mercer’s character was completely realistic. Her thoughts, pain of her own tragedy, confusion and passion to uncover the truth for her book about “Baby Boston”, all became my own. I felt myself becoming her, wanting to write down my own thoughts on Ashlyn, the mother on trial and accused of murdering her own baby. I mean, seriously? I was like Ashlyn should have been named Casey Anthony. What mother could harm their precious child? Trust me (no pun intended!), when I tell you I wouldn’t!
Reading this novel left me feeling like I just got off the most intense, most twisted, most emotional rollercoaster ride ever (and that is saying something because I’ve NEVER been on a coaster before!). I felt like I would just begin to piece it all together and Ryan, with masterful skill, would throw something else into the mix. Magnificent! This novel is my top read of 2019 so far. It’s brilliantly chiseled into a 5 star read that I will not soon forget. Psychological mind blowing thrills at it’s finest, that’s a fact!
*I purchased this for my own collection. All opinions, negative or positive, are my own.*Hank Phillippi Ryan
I was immediately absorbed by page two! So many twists and turns! Kept me guessing all the way to the very end.
Trust Me, Hank Phillippi Ryan’s standalone novel, does stand alone, like a brilliant, genuine gem in the midst of many pretentious fakes, and its light beckons us into its well-laid-out labyrinth. It pulls us in from the very beginning, and we are instantly mesmerized by the development of this story. At first I asked, what? No Charlotte McNally? No Jane Ryland? I was intrigued by this new venue. Then, I heard Hank Phillippi Ryan calling me and telling me: Trust me. And I am glad I did. You will love this novel too. Trust me!
Hank Phillippi Ryan is writing a book, Trust Me, about a reporter, Mercer Hennessey, who is also writing a book about another woman, Ashlyn Bryant, on trial for murder. Mercer is the narrator of Trust Me. Is she reliable or unreliable? As we read on and get to know her better, we start having doubts and many questions. Can Mercer approach her subject impartially? What is happening? Can we believe Ashlyn Bryant’s account? Whose “truth” are we asked to believe? As we follow the developments closely, we realize that it is almost impossible to trust any one of the characters of the stories that are being told. They change constantly and abruptly. And we are told “trust me” repeatedly by almost all the characters, so much so that it starts to make us wonder what it means and how we should react to it. It also makes us anxious about what we’ll keep finding in this suspenseful setting and the monsters it conjures.
Mercer had initially felt doubts about writing her book, perhaps because the subject was too close to home. She was told that it would become a best seller, and that she would make lots of money, but it was the reference to a previous very successful book that motivated her even further. When Truman Capote began writing professionally, he theorized that journalism and creative writing could come together in a form that he called the “nonfiction novel.” The subject had to be right, however; with journalism underpinning such a novel, the pitfall was that it could quickly date itself. Crime, he decided, could be the perfect vehicle. And he added, “Reporting can be made as interesting as fiction, and done as artistically.” Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood is widely considered to be the first book in the true crime genre. With Trust Me, Hank Phillippi Ryan takes this genre to a new, fascinating, and daring level -– “fictionally real.”
We have reached the end of the novel. But is this really “the end”? The end of this book, or the end of the possible truths? We are also reminded that nobody can or should go back to the past. It’s over. Nobody in this book will ever be the same. And we should never place our trust and our complete confidence in the creator or in her characters. The only words that come to my mind now and that apply perfectly to this book are “Oh! what a tangled web we weave / When first we practise to deceive” by Sir Walter Scott, from his 1808 poem “Marmion.” He said it best. He may have seen me reading Trust Me and sent me the quote to prompt me on how to interpret this psychological thriller. And he warned me that I would be spellbound. I am indeed enthralled. Trust Me is an unparalleled feat in Hank Phillippi Ryan’s career as a writer. You will love it too. Trust me!
I just finished Trust Me! I loved this book as much as all the other books Hank Phillippi Ryan has written. From the first page I was hooked and could not stop reading! Lots of twists and turns. I was guessing to the very last page of this story. this book will touch your heart and soul.
I raced through Trust Me in two days. What a ride! I felt all the frustrations of the writer (Mercer) trying to interview the murder suspect (Ashlyn). What can you believe from someone who invents stories as easily as she breathes? Why stories? Why not straight answers? Was there a conspiracy? As Mercer seeks answers from Ashlyn about her daughter’s death she starts to question her own tragic story of her husband’s and daughter’s deaths. The two women’s realities intertwine in a disturbing manner.
Journalist Mercer Hennessey is grieving from the worst tragedy that could befall a wife and mother. Now living alone in the family home, virtually a recluse, she writes a number in the steamed-up bathroom mirror every morning: the number of days since it happened.
On day 442, publishing friend Katherine persuades Mercer to write a book about the sensational Baby Boston murder trial. Party girl Ashlyn Bryant stands accused of murdering her two-year-old daughter because the toddler got in the way.
This book is psychological thriller at its best. Riveting. Suspenseful. A morphing reality. An exploration of the shadowy canons of our mental grasp on reality and those dark places where the monsters hide. The author masterfully weaves three timelines so that these three versions of reality, yours, mine and the truth, become so blended, the smallest shifts threaten Mercer Hennessy’s sanity.
Five stars. This book should be taught in creative writing courses.
If I could give this book 100+ stars, I would! Trust Me grabbed me from beginning to end. This book had everything: suspense, murder, twists and turns, intrigue, and I couldn’t put it down. Mercer is a journalist who is barely getting on with her life after an accident took her husband and daughter from her. She reluctantly accepts an offer to write a novel about an upcoming trial of an accused murderer. Life as she knew it will never be the same, and when it gets turned upside down, she starts questioning herself, and everyone around her. I LOVED this book, and Hank Phillippi Ryan is a phenomenal author! Trust Me is in my top 10 favorite books of all time, and I highly recommend everyone read this book!
Based on the idea that “there are three sides to every story—yours, mine, and the truth,” this page-turner kept me guessing. I couldn’t tell the truth from the lies or where it was going—which turned out to be an incredibly satisfying ending.
Trust Me is a psychological thriller about an investigative reporter, Mercer, hired to write a book about a young mother, Ashlyn, accused of murdering her 3 year old daughter, Tasha Nicole. Mercer is struggling with this story since her own daughter was killed in a terrible accident just over 1 year earlier. Mercer cannot imagine anything as horrific as a mother killing her child. Mercer’s friend, Katherine, is the editor who convinces Mercer to write this book, as a redemption and a way to re-enter the working world.
Mercer is glued to the trial, and is writing a book which assumes the mother is guilty. Later, Mercer gets to interview Ashlyn, and the stories that Ashlyn tells have Mercer questioning what is really the truth.
The story builds in tension, and convincingly shows how a story can be told to make you believe just about anything, and to doubt what you know to be true.
There were a few parts of the story which I struggled to believe, but I suppose that is what storytellling is all about!
#TrustMe #HankPhillippiRyan
This doozy of a psychological thriller revolves around Ashlyn Bryant, a mother accused of murdering her own child. Hired to write a book about the trial, Mercer Hennessy has complete access to Ashlyn and instantly forms an opinion as to her innocence or guilt. But as the book deadline nears, their relationship morphs into a whole different dynamic. The facts get murky when Mercer begins to lose the thread of a truth she once believed in. Ryan takes readers on quite a ride to the very end.
The best of her psychological thrillers.
Hank Phillippi Ryan did it again with “Trust Me”! She had me completely spinning, and questioning everything and everyone! It was Fabulous!
Ryan has definitely cornered the market on twists and turns with these court room dramas. She is a genius!
I was so attached to Mercer Hennessey, who was just counting time since losing her husband and young daughter. So, her boss offers her the opportunity to write a true crime novel based on the Ashlyn Bryant Murder case.
This case involves the murder of a baby girl, so it hits a little too close too home for Mercer. Regardless, she still takes the job. You knew this was going to be extraordinary!!
This is a huge case in Boston and everyone is watching! The day the verdict is announced Mercer’s life is in an uproar!! and that is just the beginning….
This is where you truly start to read the book with your Eyes Wide Open!!
I could not believe the trip that Ryan has taken us on! Total Roller Coaster! Belly flipping!
Thinking about what is Trust? What is truth? This novel can leave you and your friends talking for days! Book Club going into overtime! Or your mind racing with thoughts!
Bravo!
Also! This cover! Turn it sideways! Brilliant!
I waited to write this review so it could be my last review of this decade. That is how much I admired this story and Hank Ryan Phillipi’s work! I look forward to more!
This was my first audio book by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I kept trying to figure out what happened. About the time I thought I had, it switched again. Worth a read.
Mercer Hennessey is a former reporter who is getting over a deep personal loss. Her life is altered when her former editor, Katherine, asks her to cover the Baby Boston trial. Ashlyn Bryant is about to go on trial for the death of her daughter, Tasha Nicole. Mercer is among those who is certain that Ashlyn is guilty, and Katherine is asking Mercer to write a book about the case and the trial. With the way it grabbed headlines, it is certain to be a best seller. Mercer reluctantly agrees, but Ashlyn’s constant claims of innocence begin to get to Mercer. As Mercer delves further into the book, Ashlyn begins to get into her head. What is true? Is Ashlyn guilty?
I had intended to read Hank Phillippi Ryan’s stand-alone suspense novels before now, but I’m glad I picked up this first one. The book starts out a little slowly. Yes, we are getting needed background, but it feels like it could have been shortened a little. However, once things really get going, I was completely hooked. This is a strong psychological suspense story as Mercer is forced to question everything she thinks is true. The almost claustrophobic feeling of this part of the book certainly helps with that. To pull this off, the characters have to be strong, and they absolutely are, making me question what I thought was going on the entire time. Once you start, you’ll have to know how this book ends.
Slow.
A disappointing read. Fine for a summer afternoon but I was expecting more.